It's ok to cry
by amber-chick
Summary: Yahiko gets ill but is too proud to show it. Can Kenshin help him overcome his pride? 1st fic!


Disclaimer: RK belongs to Watsuki, if I owned it I wouldn't be doing this… goes off into big daydreams

It was a normal day at the Kamiya dojo. In other words, Sanosuke Sagara was freeloading, Kaoru Kamiya was yelling and hitting him, Yahiko Myojin was practicing and Kenshin Himura was cooking.

"Everybody, dinners ready," yelled Kenshin cheerfully, successfully stopping Kaoru from clobbering Sanosuke with her ever-present bokken.

"Thanks Kenshin what are we having today," asked Sano.

"Who cares, anything's better than what Ugly makes," said Yahiko.

"What did you just say Yahiko!" asked Kaoru with evil eyes.

"Now, now lets just eat shall we," asked Kenshin in his best rurouni voice.

"You have a thing for food don't you Kenshin?" asked Sano as he started eating…well he ate. Incredibly fast.

Kenshin sweat dropped when Kaoru and Yahiko started eating just as fast. _Well at least they like my cooking _he thought to himself.

Later that day Kenshin was of course doing his precious laundry while Sano was sitting there talking. Probably boasting about his _Futae no Kiwami. _Again.

In the dojo, however, things weren't nearly as peaceful. Yahiko had just called his master ugly again and there wasn't any peaceful rurouni around to soften Kaoru down this time.

"You should treat your sensei with more respect!" she yelled.

"Why should I when…" Yahiko stopped suddenly when he felt dizzy all of a sudden. _Damn _he thought. He had woken up to a dizzy spell but thought it was just one-off thing. Apparently not though. _No way am I gonna let ugly know._

"What? Why don't you finish that sentence," said a seething Kaoru, her bokken ready and waiting.

But when Yahiko opened his mouth he was suddenly hit with an extremely strong dizzy spell. He collapsed and started breathing heavily.

"Yahiko? Yahiko!" shouted Kaoru, now sounding worried. Just before Yahiko fainted he heard Kaoru call Kenshin and Sanosuke.

"What's wrong, is Yahiko OK?" asked Kaoru, now extremely anxious. She was blaming herself for not noticing that he was ill. (Not as much as Kenshin was though). A/N is there anything that man doesn't blame himself for? Lol

"Don't worry, tanuki, he'll be fine. He has bronchitis which is a rare kind of flu that attacks the chest. He should be fine with rest. And Ken-sans cooking, not yours," said Megumi. A/N I'm sure we all realized that

Kaoru was so relieved that she didn't even react to the insult to her cooking.

"Someone's going to have to cover for him at the Akabeko," warned Megumi. "And it can't be the rooster, I need him at the clinic."

"I'll go," offered Kenshin, getting up.

"No, you'll be better at making the medicinal stuff. I'll go, it's just waiting tables," said Kaoru.

"I think that's a better idea," said Megumi. She then proceeded to tell Kenshin everything he would need to do if Yahiko woke up.

"It all sounds very complicated, that it does. Are you sure it will be ok?" asked the redhead doubtfully.

"Don't worry Ken-san you'll be fine," said Megumi as she, Kaoru and Sanosuke left.

When Yahiko woke up a few hours later he had a massive headache. As he slowly regained his memory he groaned. _I cant believe I FAINTED! In front of ugly and Sano. And KENSHIN! _He groaned again. _And just when I was finally starting to prove to Kenshin that I'd gotten stronger. There's no way he'll believe me now. _Yahiko started to get up but couldn't muster up the energy. _That's weird._ He tried again and this time he managed to sit up but a sudden shooting pain went through his chest. He groaned from the pain.

Kenshin, who heard the groan from outside, a/n wish I had his hearing, I'd never get in trouble at school! ran inside and smiled softly when he saw Yahiko sitting up on his futon, and an expression of pain on his face.

"You shouldn't be up," he reprimanded the boy softly.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," said Yahiko, as he tried to get up.

Kenshin chuckled inwardly and then walked over to the futon, and pushed Yahiko down gently. "Wait here a moment, I'll be right back," said Kenshin gently. He could tell that Yahiko had a headache which was why he was whispering softly. "And stay lying down," he added, smiling.

Yahiko looked at the door Kenshin had just walked out and, when he was sure Kenshin was out of earshot, tried getting up again. This time he couldn't even sit up. _I can't believe I'm so weak, there's no way Kenshins gonna believe that I've gotten stronger if I'm letting some stupid illness hinder me. I've gotta at least be able to sit up! _

So of course our stubborn little samurai tried to sit up again. This time he nearly did but once again a searing heat rose up in his chest and he collapsed, breathing heavily, close to tears.

_Ok so I can't sit up but I am NOT gonna cry. Not in front of Kenshin and what if he tells ugly or Sano? They'll never see me as an adult._

Kenshin walked into Yahiko's room with some stuff on a tray. a/n meds, food, water, you get the idea. He looked at the boy and once again smiled inwardly. _He's more stubborn than me and Sano put together. "_Are you ok" he asked softly and gently.

"Huh, yeah I'm fine," said Yahiko trying to use his normal voice and blink away the tears from the pain at the same time. Kenshin noticed both and went over and sat next to the futon with the tray.

"Seriously Kenshin, I'm fine it was just a dizzy spell," said Yahiko insistently. He was still trying to hold back tears and gasps of pain from his chest.

"You are not fine," Kenshin gently told the boy. "Here." He slipped his hand under Yahiko head/back and helped the boy sit up. He held him there with one hand then got some miso soup with the other.

Yahiko was definitely feeling embarrassed now. _How can anyone take me seriously if I can't do anything on my own? _he wondered. "Ready," asked Kenshin gently. Yahiko nodded, ignoring the shooting pain in his head the action caused him. Or at least tried to, he couldn't hide it completely.

Kenshin very slowly and gently began to spoon-feed the boy. "I'm sorry," he murmured softly. Yahiko had been trying to hide how much pain his chest was giving him but Kenshin could tell that the boy was hurting.

He tried to finish the bowl but Yahiko started coughing. Kenshin put the bowl down and tried to calm him down by patting him on the back gently.

Then when the coughing stopped and Kenshin picked up the medicinal tea. "Try to drink this, it will make you feel better," Kenshin said gently. Yahiko tried to get the cup himself but his chest wasn't very happy with this. Yahiko had to grab his stomach to stop himself from crying out.

Kenshin helped Yahiko drink the medicine, which must have tasted awful because the boy nearly spat it all out but Kenshin was adamant and made him drink the whole thing.

Kenshin then laid Yahiko back down gently and then took the tray to the kitchen to wash.

It was ok for a while but then the pain came back. And this time Yahiko couldn't stop himself from crying out.

He cried quietly, trying to hold back the tears but they were persistent that this time he was going to show his true emotions.

Kenshin walked in quietly, and seeing Yahiko trying to hold back tears when he was so obviously in pain he walked over to boy and, sitting down next to him, gathered him in his arms and gave him a warm hug.

Yahiko was surprised when he felt Kenshin gather him in his arm but he was in to much pain to be embarrassed. "Yahiko," said Kenshin softly. "Tears are merely a way of showing emotion. There nothing to be embarrassed about, that they aren't. Everybody cries, even samurais," said Kenshin in a gentle voice.

Yahiko's eyes widened at this sound and wise advice and thought through it. And, although he still didn't want to a/n stubborn isn't he, his emotions broke through his wall and he started to cry.

Kenshin was surprised at first but then his 'parental instincts' kicked in. He started to talk to the boy in a soft soothing voice and stroked his hair gently.

After a few minutes of this, Yahiko started to calm down. When the crying stopped, Kenshin looked down and blinked. Yahiko was curled up into a ball and had fallen asleep on Kenshins lap. a/n isn't that sooo cute? Sorry!

Kenshin recovered his composure and, very gently, so as not to disturb the sleeping boy he picked him up and laid him down on the futon and covered him with a blanket.

Then his 'parental instincts' fully took over and instead of finishing the laundry he took some mending and sat in Yahiko's room and watched over him carefully.

Which was how the rest of the Kenshin-gumi found them a few hours later.

So how was that? It's my very first attempt at writing any fan-fiction and the first time I've used someone else's characters instead of my own. I hope it wasn't OOC.

With that whole parental instincts thing I kinda figured that since Yahiko grew up without parents and he was the same age as a kid Kenshin and Tomoe may have had so I figured that Kenshin was like a father figure to Yahiko and Kenshin with his over protectiveness would want to protect/help him.

This was most definitely NOT shonen ai/yaoi it was just Kenshin acting kinda like a father to Yahiko and Yahiko letting him.

And this is the first time I've ever used so forgive me if anything goes wrong.

One last thing:

A BIG thank you to akisu-san for telling me how to use 


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